Eleven people detained in relation to high-profile lawyer murder

ISTANBUL

At least 11 people have been detained in relation to the murder of a high-profile lawyer by armed assailants in Istanbul.

Şafak Mahmutyazıcıoğlu, a 42-year-old lawyer, was shot dead on Jan. 26 following a fight that broke out at a restaurant.

As a result of a police raid carried out on 19 different locations, 11 suspects, including Kadir Yasak and his older brother Ali Yasak, who both reportedly took part in the shooting, were detained.

The Yasak brothers were caught in an apartment they rented off the record for a day on a luxury complex in Büyükçekmece, a district on the far west of Istanbul’s European side.

The duo had a total of six criminal records, three of which were deliberate injury, according to reports.

Efforts by security forces to apprehend two more suspects are ongoing.

Mahmutyazıcıoğlu’s wife, Ece Erken, a famous Turkish actress and presenter, expressed her gratitude over the detention of the suspects.

The lawyer died of hemorrhage after a bullet aimed at an artery, while his driver is still undergoing treatment after also being shot.

Providing legal consultancy for several companies in Turkey, Mahmutyazıcıoğlu also served on the board of Istanbul football giant Beşiktaş for a year.